95% Efficiency?

[Wicked Daddy]

After continuous improvement of my all grain brewing system (3 vessel, direct fired mash tun/RIM) I hit 95% efficiency today. I did the calculations 3 times just to make sure. I am amazed!

Is that even possible?

I performed a 90 minute mash consisting of a 20 minute protein rest at 126, a 30 minute gradual increase to 156 and rested at that for 30 minutes. Then heat to 168 (10 minutes) and sparge with 172. The RIM only circulated during the increase to 156 and thereafter for the rest at that temperature and the mash-out heating.

Grain and results as follows:
14 lbs German Pilsner
5 lbs Munich
2 lbs Vienna

12.5 gallons pre-boil at 1.058

 

[cannman]

100% or go home

J/k

I'm going to subscribe to this thread and see if I can't learn enough to break 80% by December

A+

 

[Wicked Daddy]

I should add that I've been getting between 75% and 80% consistently but I'm always experimenting with the flow of wort over the grain bed during RIM and I've modified my sparge shower a few times as well to get more even coverage of the grain. Today was the first time I used a new RIM return that (finally) works the way I want it to and tried a new sparge shower I built as well.

I use Blichmann pots and false bottom but the RIM and sparge are my own "inventions".

 

[Setesh]

I was in the low to mid 90s depending on the recipe after building my Kal clone system. What I immediately found was that my beers lacked the flavor and mouthfeel they had before. I modified my crush (courser) and went to one batch sparge to get my efficiency back down to 75% where it was before. The results speak for themselves. My beer back to normal. While I definitely understand the coolness factor and satisfaction in chasing high efficiency numbers, I suggest you keep your taste buds peeled for changes in quality. At least for me there was a big difference in the finished product, and I'll take lower efficiency for better beer any day! Either way, good luck and have fun with it!

 

[Wicked Daddy]

That's interesting. I suppose if I'm consistently hitting these numbers AND the flavor is an issue, I'll need to adjust my crush as well. I'll be brewing again before today's brew is ready to taste so I'll be able to prove to myself that this wasn't a fluke ... or was.

Thanks for that insight.

 

[Malticulous]

A lot of continental malts have extract percentages of 83% or more. Getting the lab analysis can be difficult but it's safe to assume most of the malts at 38 ppg (90% BHE.) When I get an outlining batch that's the first thing I look at. For me getting efficiencys into the 90's is not unusual with more intense mash schedules. The bigger pro setups can get 100% or even higher of the laboratory extract. They filter out the extra tannin.

 

[Wicked Daddy]

Tannin seems to be the issue with the higher efficiency so I'll look for that when it's finished. This one is a lager and will have a long maturation schedule - perhaps I'll get lucky and not have a tannin taste.

I suppose the better a system operates, the more careful one has to be.

 

[j1n]

I got 86% brewhouse efficiency yesterday with my Irish Red brew. All i did was adjust the gap on my crusher. was in the mid 70s before. highest i ever got was low 90s.

 

[wobdee]

I usually average 80-85% mash efficiency BIAB no sparge but have hit the 90's a couple times. I think it was just a fluke or screw up in my case.